Where the Heart Is
by xpurebloodprofilersx
Summary: Emily Prentiss is returning to the BAU after two years in London for INTERPOL, but her return doesn't go as smoothly as she had hoped. New relationships, new dynamics within the team, a constant reminder of her past, and a little blossoming crush on her boss make things a bit difficult. That, and the fact that Ian Doyle may not be as dead as everyone thinks he is. Hotchniss
1. Chapter 1

Emily Prentiss had barely stepped off of the plane when her team surrounded her. JJ's arms were around Emily's neck in an instant, pulling her into a very tight and immediately returned hug.

The moment she let go, Morgan threw his arms around her waist, lifting her off of the ground and spinning her around in a circle. He planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Garcia!" Emily exclaimed as Morgan set her down. She found herself immediately enveloped in a one-armed hug from the Technical Analyst, and pulled away almost immediately.

"Why are you - oh, my God!" Emily squealed, her eyes landing on the caramel-colored baby in Garcia's other arm. The child was asleep and looked to be about six months old. "Penelope Garcia!" she exclaimed incredulously, turning from Garcia to Morgan to the baby.

Garcia smiled and shrugged playfully, and then Morgan came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"So, what, are you two, like, a thing now?" Emily asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, well," Garcia said, blushing, "No. Not really."

Emily's eyebrows shot up. "Not really?"

"We're both, um, kind of... seeing other people," Garcia explained.

"So... you had a baby together... but now you're just, not dating?"

Morgan and Garcia exchanged a look, and then they both nodded.

"Um, okay," said Emily, frowning slightly as she looked back at the baby, "Oh, my God, she's so cute, though. What's her name?"

"Kendall Fracine Morgan," Morgan said proudly. "After my mother."

Garcia wrinkled her nose in what resembled disgust at the mention of the name "Francine", and Emily bit back a laugh.

"It's the genetically perfect offspring of Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia," Emily stated, winking at the technical analyst.

She looked along the line of agents and children gathered to see her. "Hotch," she declared, stepping forward to pull him into an awkward hug, which he returned with surprising passion.

"We've missed you, Prentiss," Hotch said, flashing her one of his rare dimpled smiles.

"I've missed you guys, too," said Emily, smiling at them. "So much." She stepped back again, looking at the agents. "Wow, Jack, you've gotten so big! How old are you?"

"Eight."

"Wow, practically a grown man!" Emily exclaimed, beaming at the child. "And Henry, how old are you?"

"I'm six," he said, smiling up at her. "I missed you, Auntie Emmy!" he exclaimed loudly. Emily bent down and scooped the little boy up onto her hip, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I missed you, too, buddy!" Emily said happily. She turned to Rossi, who kissed her on the cheek.

"You're looking good, kiddo," he said, pulling her into a hug. "We missed you so much."

"I've missed you all so much, too," said Emily, hugging Reid. "Oh, my God, and JJ is pregnant! You're huge! How far are you?"

"Seven months," said JJ, running her hands over her baby bump. "It's twins."

"Aww, really? That's great!" Emily said, placing her right hand on JJ's swollen stomach, still holding Henry on her left hip, her left arm curled around the little boy's torso. Henry began to twist a braid into a section of Emily's hair.

"So, where's Will?"

The entire team tensed up along with the little boy in her arms, and Emily immediately knew that something was wrong.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize... how long?" she asked awkwardly, as Hotch and Morgan and Rossi dismissed themselves to go and find Emily's luggage. The girls began to walk towards the airport cafe.

"Um... probably about... seven months."

"Is he the...?" Emily asked, finally setting Henry down at a booth.

"No."

Emily raised her eyebrows, sliding into the booth after Jack and setting her carry on bag next to her seat. JJ and Garcia sat across from them, the baby still in Garcia's arms.

"No?" Emily asked, surprised. "Who is, then? I mean, I know it's none of my business... If you don't want to tell me..."

JJ exchanged a glance with Garcia, who wiggled her eyebrows.

"Rossi."

Emily choked on a sip of water she had taken, coughing some of it up. It took her long enough to recover that Jack and Henry both looked up from their drawings, concerned, and the baby woke up. Garcia quickly calmed her daughter down, and the child sat on her lap, giggling happily and tugging on her curly hair. Kendall wore a bright pink dress with a cat on it, and she had a huge bow and a blue flower in her hair. She was dressed like a miniature Garcia. "_Rossi? _Dave Rossi? _Our _Rossi?"

JJ laughed. "Yes, our Rossi."

"Wow," said Emily, leaning back against the torn booth cushion, "I didn't see that one coming. So are you, like, together now?"

JJ smiled and sighed. "Yeah, we are. We're engaged."

"Oh my _god,_" Emily squealed excitedly. "Jennifer Jareau, the fourth Mrs. Rossi!"

"Don't remind me," said JJ, rolling her eyes. "You know, he actually asked me six times before I agreed."

"Wow," she replied. The girls sat in a happy silence for a few minutes and then Emily's gaze wandered back to the baby. "How old is she, PG?"

"This baby girl is six months old already," Garcia said, sighing. "Kendy-Boo," she said, turning her gaze to the little girl and talking in a baby-voice, "This is your Auntie Em. She lived in London for awhile, but then she tapped her ruby-slippers together and decided 'There's no place like home!'" Emily and JJ laughed at the animated expressions flitting across Garcia's face as she cooed to her daughter. The baby, however, looked confused.

Kendall turned her gaze toward Emily, and the two pairs of chocolate brown eyes met. Kendall gave Emily a gummy smile, and reached her arms out towards her. Emily lifted the baby over the table and settled her on her hip. "Hi, sweet-pea, how are you?" she cooed to the baby, who giggled.

"Aww, Em, she likes you," Garcia said, smiling at her friend.

"You ever think about having any?" JJ asked Emily after a glance towards Garcia.

"Huh?" Emily asked, tearing her gaze away from the little girl. "No, I'm not... I mean... I don't know. I don't really think I'm all that maternal."

"Are you kidding?" Garcia demanded. "Look at you! You already flirted with Jack earlier and you carried Henry across the airport and now you're playing with Kendall!"

"They all do adore you, Emily," said JJ. "When I told Henry that Auntie Em was coming back, he did his happy dance. He hasn't done that since Will..." she trailed off, staring at her napkin. Garcia rubbed her back gently.

"And so what's the deal with you and Morgan, Pen?" Emily asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Garcia said a little sadly. "We were kind of together and then we weren't anymore."

"And was that before or after the baby?"

"Before," she replied, and then frowned. "Well, maybe _during._"

"During? During the pregnancy, you mean?"

"Yeah," Garcia said. "I think I was about four or five months when we... Well, I don't know. We were never officially a thing so it's kind of hard to say when it ended, you know?"

Emily nodded, although she wasn't actually quite sure what her quirky friend was trying to say. "So who are you guys seeing now?"

"I'm with Kevin again, and Morgan's seeing a woman named Savannah."

"Do you like Savannah?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, I do, actually. She's really great."

"Well, that's good, I guess. It's kind of weird that Morgan would just up and leave you like that, though," Emily said, frowning slightly.

"Leave me?" Garcia asked, her eyebrows pressed up in confusion.

"No, Em, they live together," JJ said.

"Wait, wait, wait," Emily said, frowning. "You live together, and you have a baby together, but you're both seeing other people, and the other people are okay with that whole arrangement?"

Garcia shrugged. "More or less."

"Isn't that _weird, _though?"

"Not really," Garcia said, although it was phrased more as a question than an answer.

"It's pretty weird," JJ said firmly.

"Huh," Emily said, shaking her head in wonder. "So, I know Rossi and JJ are together, and Morgan and Garcia are in a state of weirdness, and so naturally I have to ask, how're Hotch and Beth?"

Jack looked up from his coloring paper. "Daddy and Beth broke up. They don't like each other anymore."

Emily raised her eyebrows at the little boy. "Oh, yeah? When was that, buddy?"

Jack shrugged. "Two years ago."

"Four months," JJ stated, trying not to laugh at Jack's exaggeration. "She couldn't handle his work hours."

Emily grimaced and nodded. "Most people can't."

"Lord knows Will couldn't," JJ muttered.

"Jayje, don't say his name!" Rossi exclaimed, finally coming back into the cafe with Hotch, Reid, and Morgan, Emily's six suitcases in tow. She had sold most of her belongings in England before coming back to the States, determined to start over again. They stacked the suitcases next to their booth, and Morgan carefully placed Sergio's cat carrier on top of the pile.

Garcia leaned in towards Emily and stated, "Will's name is now the equivalent of Voldemort's," she exclaimed. "The name's taboo!" she added in an almost-believable English accent.

"They're being dramatic," JJ said, rolling her eyes. Rossi placed a kiss on her lips, and she smiled at him. Rossi slid into the booth beside JJ and took Henry onto his lap so that he, JJ, and Garcia sat on one side of the table, while Hotch, Emily, and Jack took the other side. Morgan pulled up a chair, and they all ordered their food.

As they were finishing up their dinner, conversation drifted to work.

"So, Em, how long until you come back to work?"

"Oh, um, Cruz... You like him?" she asked hopefully.

"He's a good guy," Rossi began.

"Not at all like Strauss," said Hotch.

"He's very laid back," said Morgan.

"He's a sweetheart," JJ exclaimed, earning a dirty look from her fiance.

"Good," Emily said and nodded approvingly. "He's putting the papers through. He told me it might be a few days, so I don't know if I'll be on the next case with you or not."

"You won't be," said Hotch.

"Oh, really? Did Cruz tell you something he didn't tell me?" Emily asked.

"No. I think it'd be better for the team if you sit the first one out. It'll give you time to move into your apartment and it'll give the team time to adjust to your presence."

"Okay, whatever works," Emily said, just happy to be home.

The team fell into a comfortable silence, each person picking at their dessert, not really hungry after the large late-night meal. Henry and Kendall had both fallen asleep, and as Jack began to nod off, Hotch said, "Maybe we should head out for the night."

JJ grabbed Rossi's wrist, glancing at his watch. "3 AM! How did it get this late? Your flight came in at eleven thirty!"

"Wow, is it that time already?" Garcia asked, glancing at her smartphone to confirm that it was indeed three in the morning. "Yeah, we should definitely head out."

Morgan and Garcia left first, Kendall in tow, after hugging everyone goodbye and promising to see each other the next day. JJ and Rossi left next, Henry's limp, slightly snoring form in Rossi's arms. Reid followed them out after a brief goodbye.

"Shit," Emily said just after they left, and then slapped her hand over her mouth, glancing at Jack. To her relief, he was sound asleep and hadn't heard her cursing. "My landlord is not going to let me into my apartment at 3 AM! I'll have to get a hotel room."

Hotch hesitated slightly before saying, "Don't worry about it, Prentiss. We have a guest room, you're welcome to spend the night at our place."

Emily hesitated. "Oh, no, Hotch. I don't want to intrude -"

"It's no intrusion," he said reassuringly. "We're friends, friends can help each other out. It's just one night."

"Just one night," Emily repeated in confirmation. "Alright, I guess that can't do too much harm."


	2. Chapter 2

It was 6 AM the next morning when Hotch woke up. Even on days when he didn't have to work, he couldn't seem to sleep in more than an hour after his usual wake-up time, 5 AM. He wandered into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of hot coffee, stirred in the creamer, and went to sit in the living room and watch the news.

Unfortunately, Hotch wasn't used to having a cat in his home, and he accidentally sat on Sergio, who lept up with a loud, angry hiss and darted off back towards the guest bedroom, knocking Emily's purse off of the coffee table in the process. Its contents spilled out all over Hotch's living room floor.

Cursing, Hotch bent over, trying to gather all of Emily's things so he could shove them back into her purse and so she wouldn't think he had been snooping.

_How the hell does all of this fit in there? _Hotch thought angrily as he picked everything up and set it onto the coffee table. Sifting through the items, he found hand sanitizer, a miniature sewing kit, hair bands and bobby pins, aspirin, a miniature notepad, three pens, a book of matches, a compact mirror, three tampons, breath mints, mint gum, two of her favorite energy bars, her lipstick, a nail file, a tube of tums, sunglasses, a small calendar, her wallet, a bottle of clear nail polish, three band aids, a condom, a pack of Kleenex, mascara, a small brush, nail clippers, perfume, a rubber band ball, a box of paper clips, a miniature stick of deodorant, a small camera, an MP3 player, a toothbrush, a package of M&Ms, a checkbook, stamps, hand lotion, a library card from London, her Interpol credentials and her old FBI credentials, both badges, a can of pepper spray, her PDA, a small pair of scissors, a small bottle of hairspray, a deck of cards, a screw driver, her cell phone and cell phone charger, a gun belt, a comb, a small half-full bottle of ginger ale, and a mostly-empty sleeve of Saltine crackers.

_Did Haley used to have this much crap in her purse?_ Hotch wondered as he picked up the last items, deciding he would let Emily put them back herself so it wouldn't be so much of a cluttered mess. He glanced at the clock - it was 6:32, church would be starting in an hour. He wasn't particularly religious, but Haley had been, and he felt he was serving her memory by taking Jack to church when he was home on Sunday mornings. He reluctantly got up and stretched, heading into the bathroom to take a shower.

Just as he began to shampoo his hair, he heard someone come into the bathroom. There was only one bathroom in the Hotchner household, so he and Jack never locked the door while in the shower so that the other could come in and get ready.

"Morning, buddy," Hotch said, rinsing the shampoo out of his hair.

Then he heard the retching.

"Jack?" he asked, concerned, poking his head out from behind the shower curtain. It wasn't Jack, however, that was in the bathroom with him. He watched in horror as Emily Prentiss knelt over the toilet, vomiting. "Prentiss? Are you okay?" he asked, immediately turning the water off and grabbing his robe from where it hung over the curtain rod, pulling it on. He stepped out of the shower and took her hair from her, holding it back as she threw up again. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Emily finally leaned back hesitantly and flushed the toilet. Tears began to form in her eyes as she turned around and said, "God, Hotch, I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be sorry," he said, immediately pulling her into his arms in a show of unusual compassion, "It's okay. Are you sick? What's wrong?"

"I'm not sick," she said, pulling away from his awkward hug and turning towards the sink to rinse out her mouth.

"Are you sure? I can take you to the doctor's if you want. You might have the flu or something..."

"No, Hotch, I'm really not sick," she repeated.

Then it dawned on him. The ginger ale and saltine crackers in her purse... a common cure for morning sickness...

"Emily..." he said gently, and she looked slightly surprised by his use of her first name, "Are you pregnant?"

She nodded, avoiding his gaze.

"Well, that's not a bad thing!" he said, happy for her, "Congratulations, Prentiss!"

"No," she said, turning towards him but not making eye contact, "It's a bad thing, Hotch. It's a very bad thing."

"Wha- why?" he asked. "You're not happy about it? Are you going to... get rid of it?"

"No, no," she said, wiping her tear away before he saw it, "I did that once and it was terrible. I'm never doing that again."

"Why is it a bad thing?" he asked, not showing any emotion. "Does the father know?"

"No, he doesn't, and he isn't going to," said Emily firmly.

"Why not? He deserves to know, Prentiss -"

"He does not."

He stared at her for a moment. "And why not?"

She stared at him for a minute, and then gave a shaky sigh. Looking away, she whispered "Ian Doyle is the father, Hotch."


	3. Chapter 3

"...Ian Doyle is _dead, _Prentiss," Hotch said after an intense staring battle that lasted at least three full minutes.

Emily rolled her eyes as though it was the stupidest thing that she had ever heard in her life. "Yeah. I wish." She turned to walk out of the bathroom, and Hotch followed her.

"Prentiss, I was _there._ I saw him die with my own eyes! There's no way he could've survived a bullet to the head -"

Turning around sharply to face him, Emily snapped, "Yeah, kind of like there's no way I could've survived a table leg to the stomach? It's not even that unusual to survive a head shot! Stranger things have happened, Hotch -"

"A stomach wound is different than a head wound, Prentiss. How could he possibly have survived that?"

"He has a metal plate in his head."

Hotch stared at her for a moment to ensure that she wasn't joking. When it became clear that she wasn't, Hotch cleared his throat, and hesitantly said, "Prentiss... Are you okay?"

A look of horror crossed her face as she realized what he was implying. "I'm not crazy, Hotch!" she declared angrily, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Well... Sorry for asking, but... You do realize how irrational this sounds?" he asked, a lump forming in his throat as he realized how incredibly awkward the whole situation was. Why had he invited her to spend the night?

She sighed, defeated, and sunk into his couch, pinching the bridge of her nose between her pointer finger and her thumb. "Yeah, I realize how irrational it sounds. But it's the truth! He had a brain injury when he was a kid, they put it in to make sure his skull didn't crack again or something. I swear to God, that's what he told me. I just didn't remember it until... well, until he was in my bedroom."

"Prentiss," he said gently, sitting down beside her, "...Emily," he amended, "Are you _sure _it was him? Positive?"

She let out a dry, sarcastic laugh. "Yes, Hotch. I'm sure. I did work undercover with the man for an entire year and a half, I think I'd know."

"And you're _sure _it was him?"

She looked at him and then back down at her bare feet, and whispered, "Trust me. If I could forget his face when he... when he was... If I could forget it, I would, Hotch." She stared at her toes for a few more minutes, her gaze distant as though she wasn't actually present in the room, but was reliving what Doyle had done to her during their last encounter. She shuddered, and Hotch tentatively put an arm around her shoulders.

She looked up at him in surprise, and then quickly bowed her head back down, not wanting him to see her tears. Prentisses were not supposed to cry. Ever.

"Emily," he said gently, pulling her into another awkward sideways hug - made even more awkward when he remembered he was still dressed in nothing more than a bathrobe - "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Well, yes. Actually... I don't know."

Hotch let his arm fall from her shoulders, and they sat together in silence for a few minutes, before he said softly, "I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I have to take Jack to church. Do you want to come with us?"

"No," she said immediately. "No, I, um, I told my landlord that I'd be at the apartment at eight. I have to pack up my things and, um, maybe shower here before I head out?"

"That's fine," said Hotch. "Let me know if you need anything else."

Emily smiled at him, obviously still upset, and said, "Yeah, okay. Thanks, Hotch. I really appreciate that."

"It's no problem," Hotch said, flashing her one of his dimpled smiles. She felt her lips involuntarily curve upward when he smiled at her: it was so rare an occasion, and she couldn't help but smile back at him.

Thirty minutes later, Hotch, Emily, Jack and Sergio were all ready to leave the house.

"Hotch?" Emily asked, just as Hotch was getting into the driver's seat of his car to leave.

"Yeah, Prentiss?" he asked, pausing with his hand on the door.

"I would appreciate it if... we could keep the whole, you know... Doyle thing... If we could keep it between us?"

He nodded. "Of course."

She smiled at him, genuinely this time. "Thanks."

"I'll see you tonight at Rossi's, right?" he questioned, making sure that she would still want to be around after her confession that morning.

"Yeah, I'll see you then," she said.

Hotch closed the car door and drove away, and he felt a twinge of sadness when he glanced into the rear view mirror to see Prentiss's slouched over, depressed form disappearing in the distance.

_What is this? _he asked himself, frowning slightly. _Sympathy, _the rational part of his brain decided. _Yes. You feel sorry for her, because she's in a bad situation. That's all. If it were any other member of the team, you'd feel the same way. _

But there was another part of him, perhaps a smaller, quieter part, but a part nonetheless, that was laughing at him for thinking it was just plain sympathy. _Face it, _that part of his brain was saying, _You have feelings for Emily Prentiss. _

_Feelings for Prentiss? _he thought, wrinkling his brow. _No. Can't be. _

_And yet... Those feelings were definitely there. _

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts away as he pulled into the parking lot of the church. _Just ignore those feelings, _the rational part of his brain said. _A relationship with Prentiss would be too complicated, and it would break the FBI fraternization rules. They could both lose their jobs. It wasn't worth it. _

But he knew that this particular internal argument was far from over.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hi!" JJ squealed excitedly as she opened the front door of the cabin that she now shared with Rossi. Technically speaking, it was _not _a cabin. In all honesty, the fact that Rossi had the audacity to call it a cabin was disgusting. The building was huge, three stories tall and 6000 square feet, and had five full bathrooms and twelve bedrooms.

"Hey," Emily responded, looking around the foyer in awe like she did every time she came to Rossi's mansion. She could swear it got bigger every time she went in.

"Everyone is in the kitchen," JJ said cheerily. "You can take your shoes off there"- she pointed to a huge pile of shoes to Emily's left - "I'll take your coat."

"Thanks," Emily said, shrugging off her black trench coat. She always talked about buying a new coat - one that looked less "detective-y" as Garcia phrased it - but she never actually got around to it.

"Did you bring your swimsuit?" JJ asked.

"My swimsuit?" Emily asked, raising her eyebrows. "It's February, Jayje."

JJ smiled happily and said, "Oh, right, I forgot you haven't been here! We got a hot tub." "A hot tub?" Emily repeated, her eyebrows reaching up and together in concern. "Oh."

"Don't worry, you can borrow one of my bikinis," JJ said as she hung her friend's coat in the front closet. "Lord knows I can't fit into them right now."

Emily smiled after a slight hesitation, which didn't go unnoticed by her profiler friend.

JJ narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Emily.

_Shit. _

"Are you okay?" JJ asked, genuine concern written over her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emily said, placing the most neutral expression she could manage on her face. "Just tired from the flight and from setting up the apartment all day."

JJ stared at her for another moment, and Emily did her best to keep her expression neutral.

"Okay," JJ said dismissively, turning back towards the kitchen, where the playful bantering of the BAU team could be heard through the walls. "I'll let that go for now, but if I catch you being weird again you won't get off so easily," JJ declared, placing her hand on her back to support her hugely swollen stomach as she waddled towards the door, pushing it open.

A chorus of greetings rang out when the female agents entered the kitchen. Rossi stood at the oven, stirring a large pot of boiling noodles, wearing an apron that read "Baciare il Cuoco!" Morgan sat at the kitchen island with his giggling daughter on his lap, talking to Jack, who sat on the stool next to him, playing on his Nintendo DS and explaining the game to Morgan. Garcia sat on the other side of Jack, knitting what appeared to be a blue bootie for a baby as she talked with Rossi. The French doors connecting the kitchen to the dining room were opened, revealing Reid sitting at the dining room table with Henry on his lap, Ashley Seaver beaming at him, both talking to... Alex Blake.

Emily narrowed her eyes slightly at the appearance of her replacement.

What gave her the right to waltz in and take her place in this team? This was _Emily's family, _not hers!

Emily took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. After all, it was _her _decision to leave in the first place.

And what a stupid decision it had been.

That was probably one of the biggest mistakes she'd ever made in her life. Two long, miserable years she'd spent in a foreign country. Not that she wasn't used to foreign countries – hell, she spent most of her life in foreign countries. That's why it shouldn't have been so hard. She thought if she'd give it enough time, if she'd settle down, maybe find herself a man.

But no. Sergio was still the only long-term relationship she had with the other sex, and the two years she'd spent in rainy London were arguably the worst two years of her life. Each day was basically the same: go to work, do whatever, go home, be miserable and lonely, eventually fall asleep. Repeat. The fact that Doyle had found her in London hadn't really created the home-sweet-home feeling she was going for, either.

She was interviewing a family in their home when she decided she couldn't stay in London any longer. The family had ten adopted kids. Her decision was based on a magnet stuck to the family's refrigerator that read, "Family isn't whose blood you carry. It's who you love and who loves you back." Three weeks later, she was packed up and on her way back to the states, back to Quantico.

And here she was, in Rossi's kitchen, finally back with the people that she considered to be family, back in the city that was the first place she had ever truly felt like she was home.

And what was she doing about it?

Bitching that the team replaced her.

_Of course they replaced you, _Emily mentally scolded herself. _That's just business. It's not like she personally replaced you. _

Emily glanced over at the new woman. Henry was now sitting on her lap while she talked and laughed with Reid. They certainly _looked _happy. Maybe they were glad she was gone. Maybe this woman - Dr. Alex Blake - maybe she was a better version of Emily. Emily two-point-o.

She began to feel the rage boiling again, and squeezed her eyes shut, taking another deep breath.

_Damn these pregnancy hormones, _she cursed.

Then she realized something.

_Everyone _was staring at her.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck! _Emily scolded herself. _How long was I standing here like an idiot? Don't just _stand _here, Emily! _SAY _something! _

"...Um..." she said, breaking out of her trance. She opened her mouth to say something else, and then slammed it shut again. _Nice, Emily. 'Um'. That'll throw them off. _"Sorry," she finally said, glancing from concerned face to concerned face of her team. "I'm just tired. From, you know, the plane."

"Oh," said JJ loudly, glancing around at the rest of their friends. "Yeah, that makes sense."

They still looked skeptical.

"Dave, is the pasta almost done?" JJ asked, trying to get the attention off of her friend. That apparently worked, because most of the agents looked away from Emily, either back to their conversations or towards Rossi, wondering if the food was almost done.

"Twenty minutes or so," he responded.

"_Twenty minutes!" _Morgan exclaimed. "Come on, man, I'm starvin' here!"

"Do you want it fast, or do you want it _gustosissima?_" Rossi asked, annoyed.

"What's gusto-what-a-ma?" Morgan asked.

"It's like... delicious," Emily said, translating Rossi's Italian for the team like in old times. They seemed to relax more after hearing her do something that she used to do, hopefully forgetting her previous hesitation. Pushing it to the back of their minds, at least.

Not JJ, though. She was still eyeing Emily suspiciously.

The kitchen door swung opened again, and Hotch entered the room. Pushing the door open behind him and busting into the room were JJ and Rossi's three dogs, Mudgie, Bachelor, and Chance. They bounded into the room, barking loudly and jumping up on everyone. Chance put her paws up on the counter, trying to take a large hunk of beef.

"OUT!" Rossi screamed, waving his knife around like a madman. "GET THE DOGS OUT OF MY KITCHEN!"

"Come _on, _Chance!" JJ scolded the recently adopted Doberman, grabbing her collar and dragging her towards the kitchen door. Suddenly JJ shrieked, let go of the dog's collar, and clutched her stomach.

"Jennifer!" Rossi shouted, concerned, dropping his spoon into the pot of boiling water and rushing forwards. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Yeah," JJ panted, giving a pained smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... Just a weird kick, or something. Don't worry, Dave. I'm fine. Really."

A buzzer went off, and Dave turned around to look at his pasta.

"_DAMN IT, CHANCE!" _Dave roared.

The pasta had been knocked off of the stove by the Doberman, noodles piled on top of her head, while she, Bachelor, and Mudgie enjoyed Rossi's fine Italian cooking.

"_OUT, OUT! BOTH OF YOU, OUT!" _Rossi roared. The dogs ran out of the kitchen, tails between their legs.

The team stared at Rossi, watching him fume for a few seconds.

"...Now what?" Garcia asked timidly, breaking the silence.

"I'll have to start over!" Rossi cried in despair.

"I'm ordering a pizza," Morgan said impatiently, whipping out his iPhone and dialing the nearest pizzeria.

"No, Derek, don't you dare -"

"-Dave-" JJ protested.

"-I am a fine Italian chef and I deserve to be -"

"Rossi, we _know _you're good at cooking. You don't need to prove anything to us -" said Alex.

"Pizza!" Jack and Henry cheered.

"We're _hungry, _Dave," JJ said, placing a hand on his forearm.

"No! We are not ordering a pizza! I called for a nice, home cooked meal, and -"

"DO Y'ALL WANT CHEESY CRUST ON THIS?" Morgan shouted, his phone away from his mouth as he shouted to the room.

"Chee-sy crust! Chee-sy crust!" the boys chanted, happy that they wouldn't have to eat pasta afterall.

Kendall began to cry, and Morgan tried to bounce her up and down on his hip while simultaneously ordering the pizza. Dave was still shouting about how it was an outrage to order pizza in such a fine Italian home while JJ and Hotch tried to calm him down.

"Did you know there are 5 billion pizzas sold annually around the world? 3 billion of those pizzas are purchased in the United States -"

"Shut up, Spence," JJ said, slapping the arm of her fiance.

"YO BABY GIRL!" Morgan shouted, "I could use a hand over here!"

Garcia, who had been, up until now, recording the scene with her iPhone, quickly took the crying baby from Morgan and took her out of the room, accidentally letting the dogs back into the room.

"NO, BACHELOR!" JJ shrieked, making a move towards the Pekingese that was about to pee on Hotch's shoe. Hotch jumped out of the way just in time, landing on a toy car that had been forgotten during Henry's playtime. He tripped and landed directly on Emily's lap.

"Oof!" she squeaked as the air rushed out of her lungs. Hotch quickly stood up, brushing off his shirt.

"Prentiss, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, flustered. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Hotch, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes..."

Hotch eyed her carefully. "No, I mean... are you sure... you're okay?" he said, gesturing towards her midriff.

She glared at him, glancing quickly around the room to see if anyone had noticed. To her relief, Morgan was still on the phone, the boys were still cheering, Rossi was trying to get the dogs out of his kitchen, Garcia was still in the hallway, Blake was still sitting boredly at the dining room table, and JJ was...

_Shit. _

JJ was staring straight at her, eyebrow raised, arms folded across her chest.

"Not here," Emily mouthed at her best friend. JJ narrowed her eyes, and then nodded her agreement.

"Okay!" JJ said loudly. "Everybody out of my kitchen! Out, out!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T DELIVER?" Morgan shouted into his phone. "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING. ALL PIZZERIAS DELIVER!"

"Actually, only 65% of pizzerias deliver -"

"SHUT UP, REID!" several people shouted at once, as JJ ushered them all out of her kitchen, preserving as much of Rossi's sanity as she could.


	5. Chapter 5

Two hours later, the pizzas were consumed, the baby put to bed, the boys watching Cars 2 in the in-house theatre in the basement, Rossi pouring wine for everyone ("At least the mutts didn't destroy everything") and JJ and Emily were upstairs in JJ's bedroom, digging through her dresser for her extensive collection of bikinis. She owned sixteen, all different colors. In fact, her bikini collection was almost as impressive as Garcia's pajama collection.

"So," JJ began, digging the last of her bikinis out of the horribly messy dresser drawer, "You going to tell me what's going on with you, or do I have to guess?"

Oh, I doubt you'd guess this, Emily thought, sighing. "It's really nothing important, Jayje."

"No?" JJ asked, raising her eyebrows. "It's obviously important enough that you missed out on what we were all expecting to be an impressive sarcastic comeback earlier."

"Aw, I missed out on that?" Emily said, laughing, hoping to change the subject. "What was this sarcastic remark supposed to be a comeback to, anyway?'

"Never mind that," said JJ, selecting a blue bikini out of the pile. "I want to know what's been on your mind."

"Honestly, Jayje, it's nothing."

"Em, I know you were gone two years, but do we really need to build trust again? I thought we were friends," she pouted.

"Oh, come on, Jayje, we are friends. Best friends. Remember?"

"Then tell me," JJ pleaded. "You know I won't tell anyone."

Emily sighed. "What do you want to know?"

JJ smiled, knowing she had won this particular battle. "Why were you staring off into space in my kitchen?"

"Oh, that?" Emily said, trying to brush her off. "That was nothing -"

"Jesus, Emily. For a profiler, you're awful at lying."

They stared at one another for a moment; it was a battle of wills.

Emily sighed. "Okay, I was just watching the new woman and being insecure about how I'll fit back into the team with her here."

"Aww, Emily, don't worry your pretty little head about that," JJ said, patting Emily's head. "Youll fit right back in, just fine."

"'My pretty little head?'" Emily repeated incredulously. "You sound like Garcia."

"It's the hormones, I promise," JJ stated. "God, Em, being pregnant really takes it out of ya. You have no idea.

"Also," JJ said, sitting back down on the bed beside Emily after she changed, "I want to know why Hotch was so concerned when he fell on you."

"I don't know," she lied, trying to keep her face neutral, "He felt bad, I guess..."

"Bullshit," JJ declared boldly.

"I cracked a rib on the job last month," Emily lied. "Couple of bullets to the vest. I had some meds for it in my bag, and when I stayed with Hotch last night, he found them on the counter."

"Oh," said JJ dismissively. After all, in their position, that story was completely believable. She'd just have to keep Garcia out of her medical records.

Why was she lying to JJ? she didn't really know. JJ was her best friend, and if she couldn't tell JJ, she couldn't tell anyone. JJ would support her and probably even give her advice. But she still couldn't bring herself to share that bit of information with the blonde.

She was lying to JJ, she realized, because she hasn't even come to terms with the situation herself! It was hard enough being pregnant with a monster's baby, without having the additional stress of being partially in love with said monster!

It was true, Emily Prentiss was in love with Ian Doyle. Yes, he was a terrorist, and yes, he was a murderer, but he was also a lover and a father.

And a damned good one at that.

She had been undercover with him for too long. She'd gone and done the unthinkable- developed feelings for the man. And the worst part was, she couldn't separate Emily Prentiss from Lauren Reynolds.

And that was a serious issue.

Sure, right off the bat, that was to be expected. But it should've gone away a few months after her mission ended. And at the time, it did. Lauren Reynolds was dead, after all.

But then Ian Doyle broke out of prison. Ian Doyle came back to her.

And so did a little piece of Lauren.

Then Emily Prentiss died. Medically. And they brought her back to life. But then she was hiding in Paris for those long seven months she was forced to pretend to be dead, hiding from him, away from her family. So it wasn't like Emily Prentiss was really alive.

Emily Prentiss officially came back to life the day that she returned to the BAU.

But she returned to protect Declan.

And that was the real problem. Because Emily Prentiss didn't have feelings for Declan. She had no more connection to him than a woman does to any child she passes on the street.

so why come out of hiding, why risk her life for that child?

Because the moment that she found out that Declan Doyle was in danger, the moment she got back to Quantico to help save that little boy, it wasn't just Emily Prentiss that came back to life.

Lauren Reynolds did, too.

And during her long two years in London, Lauren Reynolds had slowly faded away into the background of Emily's mind.

After all, Lauren Reynolds died a second time when Ian Doyle died.

And then Ian Doyle showed up in her bedroom in her house one rainy London day.

Emily was terrified, outraged, confused.

Lauren was ecstatic. And very much alive.

And when Doyle had... when Doyle had raped her...

Did at even count as rape?

Surely, Emily didn't want that. She fought back.

but Lauren was there, in the back of her mind. Enjoying it. Gladly moving in rhythm with whatever her lover had to offer.

Frankly, Emily wished he had just raped her. That would've been easier, after all. Not as much confusion going on. Straightforward.

But with Lauren around, nothing was ever straightforward.

And that's why Emily couldn't come to terms with her situation.

Emily was horrified about what had happened. Outraged that he'd taken her dignity like that. Terrified that he'd find her again, and kill her this time. He was a murderer, after all. And the baby, Emily thought it was a monster. How could it not be, with a father like that? She was disgusted by it.

Lauren fantasized about what had happened. Thrilled he'd come to find her. Hopeful that he'd see her again soon. He wouldn't hurt her, she knew. She was having his baby, and he really was such a good father. That baby was the best thing that ever happened to her.

And ugh, Emily thought, if these two conflicting personalities in my brain don't make me count as insane, I don't know what does.

"Em, which swimsuit do you want?"

Emily looked them over.

"Jennifer Jareau!" Emily scolded, looking at one swimsuit that had unicorns on the top, and the bottom was a thong. "What the fuck were you thinking when you bought that?"

"Not sure," JJ said, smiling now that Emily was acting more like herself. "I probably wasn't."

"I'll say," Emily muttered, laughing slightly and shaking her head.

"Here," JJ said, throwing her a T-shirt and a red bikini.

Emily caught the T-shirt and looked at JJ in horror, sure that her friend was just trying to help her cover her baby bump. How the hell did she know?

"How did you-" she began, cut JJ cut her off.

"You still like to keep that scar covered up, don't you? Or are you finally over that?"

Emily let out a sigh of relief; her secret was still safe for now. "Thanks, Jayje," she said, stepping into the bathroom to change.


	6. Chapter 6

Ten minutes later, Emily and JJ joined Hotch, Garcia, Morgan, and Rossi in the hot tub.

"Where'd everyone go?" JJ inquired, quickly stepping into the hot tub. Emily, shivering in the frigid air, quickly followed.

"Blake declined our hot tub invitation," Rossi said, looking slightly disappointed, "And Seaver got called in. Reid had to drive her to headquarters."

"Is he coming back?" JJ asked, looking slightly upset. It was no secret that Reid was her favorite member of the team - and that included her best friends and fiance. She had a sort of maternal soft-spot for him.

"I doubt it," Morgan said, sliding over to make room for Emily to sit next to him, "You know how much he hates driving in the snow."

"Is it still supposed to storm tonight?" Garcia asked, looking towards the sky. No stars could be seen; clouds were rolling in.

"It sure looks like it," Rossi commented, taking a sip of his wine.

"Seaver?" Emily questioned. Why would Reid be driving her around?

"Yeah," Rossi answered, sending a knowing look to the rest of the team. Morgan wiggled his eyebrows. "Ashley's car broke down yesterday, and Reid has been awfully helpful. This is a relatively new development," he said, his voice just barely tinged with sarcasm, "So we're all not sure what to think yet. But _some _of us" - he sent a pointed look to Garcia - "Think Reid might have a little crush on our good friend Ashley."

Garcia nodded enthusiastically and said, "He totally thinks she's adorable, isn't it obvious? I thought it was, I mean, before. Wouldn't it be cute if they got together? Oh, they'd make the prettiest babies-"

"-Okay, baby girl," Morgan said, rolling his eyes, "I think you're getting a little bit ahead of yourself. We haven't even decided if there's anything there yet."

"Just saying, chocolate thunder," she replied nonchalantly, taking another sip of her wine.

The team fell silent for a moment, and Emily took the opportunity to look around the hot tub at her friends, just to make sure they were all content.

Or to profile them.

You know, same difference.

Morgan sat immediately to her right, looking sexy-as-ever with no shirt on. Damn, that man had a nice body. Muscular arms, rock hard abs-

_Better look away before Garcia catches you looking_, Emily warned herself.

But really, Morgan seemed completely relaxed. His arm was casually thrown behind Emily's back, resting on the side of the hot tub, and in his other hand he held his glass of wine. He was laughing and talking to Rossi, who sat to his right.

Rossi was talking loudly and with his hands, like always, his glass of wine sloshing around as he used it to gesture something. He, too, seemed completely at ease.

Hotch sat across from Rossi. He wasn't relaxed like the others, though, he was just slightly tense, always alert, constantly vigilant. He had been that way ever since Foyet killed Haley. Sure, it had gotten better when Beth was around, but that speck of tension was always there. It probably always would be. Hotch was listening to the conversation that Morgan and Rossi were having. It appeared that they were talking about the upcoming March-madness basketball tournament.

Hotch was the only one in the hot tub who, like Emily, wore a T-shirt. That was something that they had in common - he had his scars from Foyet, and she had hers from Doyle, and neither of them wanted anybody else to see those scars. That was something Emily understood, something she could easily respect.

Garcia sat next to Hotch, giggling loudly for no apparent reason and draining the last bit of her wine - and if Emily wasn't mistaken, that was already her third glass. When she had finished draining it, she turned around to pour herself another glass from the bottle, which Rossi had foolishly placed within her reach.

JJ sat next to Garcia... _staring at Emily again. _

_Why _was JJ staring at her again? She wasn't acting strangely!

JJ's blue eyes sparkled with delight as they flicked from Emily to Garcia to Emily to Garcia. Emily questioningly followed the blonde's gaze to Garcia, and after a moment of staring, she gasped and then quickly slapped her hand over her mouth, glancing at Garcia to make sure that the technical analyst hadn't noticed her slip-up. Emily looked back at JJ, who was also trying not to laugh.

Garcia was wearing the same unicorn-covered bikini top that Emily had made fun of in JJ's room.

Which meant that...

_No, _Emily thought, _She wouldn't. _

It was very possible that Garcia was wearing a thong.

"Okay," Morgan declared, breaking into Emily's thoughts, "I'm bored. Let's play Truth or Dare."

Everyone groaned. Every time Morgan suggested the game, something bad happened.

"Fine, fine," he said, throwing his hands up in mock disappointment, "Let's play Would You Rather."

They all sighed. It was better than Truth or Dare, certainly.

"Fine," Rossi said for the group, "Who goes first?"

"Me, as always," said Garcia, who had finally stopped drinking wine. She looked around the group, stopping when her eyes landed on JJ. "Peaches," she addressed the other blonde, "Would you rather be a fairy living in a hollowed-out gumdrop, or be a unicorn living on a rainbow?"

"Um," JJ said, smirking at the drunken Garcia and stirring her glass of lemonade with her straw, "I'd rather... be the fairy, in the gumdrop."

Garcia seemed satisfied, and so they moved on, just as it began to snow.

"Hotch," JJ said, addressing their supervisor, "Would you rather... be able to fly, or be have super strength?"

"Super strength," he said immediately.

"Why?" Morgan asked, taking a swig of his beer (they ran out of wine), "You don't want to fly?"

"I don't know, Morgan," Hotch said, shrugging. "It's just a stupid game. Dave, would you rather... eat a worm, or an egg?"

Rossi shuddered, thinking about it. It was common knowledge among the group that Rossi thought eggs were the nastiest thing in the world - scrambled, sunny-side-up, easy-over, or hard-boiled, he went running for the hills whenever he saw any of them.

"I think I'd eat the worm," Rossi said. "I honestly do."

"Ewww," Garcia said. "That's, like, grody to the max."

They laughed at her word choice.

"Morgan," Rossi said, directing his attention to the man next to him, "Would you rather- damn it, woman, will you _stop _playing with that lemon!" - for JJ had been squeezing the lemon that was in her lemonade, and she had squirted some of the juice dangerously close to Rossi's eye - "Would you rather," he began again, as a devilish smirk grew on his face, thinking he had finally got Morgan in this stupid game, "Lick Garcia's armpit, or suck on her big toe?"

Morgan looked across the hot tub at Garcia and wiggled his eyebrows, saying, "Why not both?"

"Derek!" Garcia shrieked, splashing the hot water at his face, "Not here!"

Morgan, of course, splashed her back. And then she splashed him. And he splashed her. And soon, the finest behavior-analysis profiling team in the entire FBI was having a splash war in a very small hot tub in the middle of a snowstorm.

Water splashed everywhere; faces, eyes, mouths: there was no escape. Everyone was completely drenched in the steaming water within a few seconds, except Hotch.

No, their cool, collected unit chief would never do something so immature as to throw water into his subordinates' faces.

Morgan lunged over Garcia to dunk Hotch under. Both men went down, bringing Garcia with them.

And causing Garcia's entire glass of wine to spill into the hot tub.

And everyone froze.

Rossi was giving her the death glare.

"Woops," Garcia said cheerily, taking no notice of Rossi. "My bad! Cleanup on aisle eight!"

The team stared at Rossi for a moment, tense, noticing that the look in his eye made it seem as though he really _would _murder Garcia for spilling in his hot tub. He twitched in her general direction, and everyone lurched forward slightly as though to grab him.

He paused, however, when JJ's phone started ringing.

JJ frowned, confused, and reached for her phone, which was sitting behind her on the deck.

"Hello?" she answered, frowning slightly. She listened for a moment. "Yeah... No, that sounds - what?... Yeah, sure..." she sighed, "Okay. Yeah, that's fine. Sure. Bye."

She hung up the phone, sighing heavily, and turned towards the team.

"Well, guys, party time is over. We have a case."

Everyone looked extremely disappointed.

"Aw, man!" Morgan said, punching the surface of the water. "Damn these sons of bitches. I like to have my free time, too!"

"Where are we going, JJ?" Hotch asked calmly, having resurfaced.

"_You _all are going to Alaska," JJ said boredly, twisting the ends of her blonde hair around her fingers. "That's an eleven hour flight, so I'll be sitting this one out."

Since JJ was seven months pregnant with twins, it had been decided by Rossi that she was no longer allowed to attend cases with them that required her to be on a plane for more than five hours. The doctor agreed and so did Hotch and Cruz, so despite JJ's complaints, the rule had gone into effect.

"And I'm still staying back for this one, Hotch?" Emily asked, looking towards their Unit Chief.

"Yes, Prentiss, I think that'd be for the best," he said, looking at her as though to hint at the double meaning of his words.

Emily's eyes narrowed slightly, but her profiling friends were too preoccupied to notice.

"Damn it!" Morgan cursed, looking wildly around the deck. "We forgot the towels! It's freezing out here, man!"

There was a slight pause, one that would've normally been filled by one of Reid's statistics. The team looked at one another, somewhat startled.

"Wow, it's weird without Reid," Emily commented, amused.

"I hate winter," Rossi grumbled, climbing out of the hot tub and shivering.

"Em," JJ said, nudging her and glancing behind her at Garcia, who was so tipsy Morgan had to help her out of the hot tub. Emily turned around and, to her enormous relief, Garcia was wearing a simple black swim skirt, and not an ass-revealing swimsuit of any type.

"Oh, thank God," Emily whispered to her best friend, laughing for the first time in what felt like forever.

Rossi grabbed JJ's hand and helped her out of the hot tub. Emily followed her out, and then Hotch, everyone sprinting back towards the house, dripping wet, in the snowstorm.

When they got inside, water trailing behind them into the living room, they were all shivering. Rossi went to the closet to get the towels, while Morgan and Garcia and JJ crowded around the fire.

Emily stood in the doorway, the wet T-shirt clinging to her thin, shivering body.

Clinging a little bit too closely for her current situation, she thought, as she attempted to un-stick the fabric to her slightly-noticeable baby bump. She hugged her arms around her body, hoping it would be enough to hide the swelling from the observant eyes of her profiling friends.

Luckily, by the time Rossi returned with the towels and they all dried off and went to get dressed, no one had given Emily a second glance.

Or so it had seemed.

Truthfully, Morgan, Hotch, Rossi, and JJ all noticed, and Garcia probably would've, too, if she hadn't had so much wine.

Morgan had noticed while they were in the hot tub. Nothing major, he assumed, maybe she just ate a bit too much. A food-baby. She certainly looked slightly heavier than before, but hey, she'd been gone for two years and they were all getting older. It wasn't like she was fat now. Not even close. In fact, she looked to be a slightly healthier weight than when she had left. She was a bit underweight then, with all the stress and whatnot.

Hotch had, of course, known what he was looking for. He hadn't asked her how far she was - he hadn't asked her anything, really. He made a mental note to do so on the next occasion that he could get her alone. She was showing, but not much. No one without a trained eye would notice.

Rossi discovered it when he returned to the living room with stacks of towels for his soaked friends and saw Hotch staring at Emily's stomach. He was fairly certain immediately that she was pregnant, but hey, if she didn't want to say anything, that was her business. Upon a closer look, he decided that it wasn't _necessarily _pregnancy. But it wasn't like Emily to have gained weight. She ran every day and didn't ever have much of an appetite.

JJ, honestly, had noticed during dinner, before they ever went near the hot tub, before she had even asked Emily what was wrong with her. It made sense, after all. The random dazing, the slightly worried appearance, never truly being relaxed... It reminded JJ of when Doyle was around. But Doyle was dead, now (as far as she was concerned, at least), and so it had to be for some other reason. When she saw Emily's hand involuntarily rubbing her stomach, her suspicious were strengthened.

But maybe her friend wasn't pregnant. After all, JJ had flat out asked her what was wrong. She liked to think they were closer than that, that they wouldn't lie to one another about something as big as this. JJ made a mental note to talk to Emily tomorrow, while they were both left behind on the case.

For now, she had some phone calls to make.

Blake and Reid were none too happy to be called in at 2 AM. Neither was Jordan Todd, who was filling in for JJ when she didn't go on the cases, and would once again take over during her maternity leave.

And so, the reluctant team (including JJ and Emily and a drunken Garcia) stumbled into the Quantico FBI Headquarters an hour later, utterly exhausted despite the large amounts of coffee they all had consumed before reporting.


	7. Chapter 7

"I've said it before and I'll say it again: I see you people _way _too often," Morgan said, plopping down into his swivel chair in the round-table room.

"This is one of those times when I _really _hate my job," Rossi said, straightening the tie that he had reluctantly put on just minutes before as he sat down. JJ and Blake nodded in agreement.

Emily entered the room last, and abruptly stopped walking when she noticed that Blake was occupying the chair that had been hers for six years. There was no extra chair in the room, nowhere at all for Emily to sit down. She frowned slightly, standing awkwardly behind Reid, whose back was always to the door.

Everyone else, she noticed, sat in their usual places. Reid beside Rossi next to Hotch next to JJ next to Garcia next to Morgan next to... Blake.

She sure wasn't expecting all of this competition when she returned.

Honestly, though, it wasn't _really_ a competition, she tried to reason with herself. She was just making it into a competition. She wanted to prove to the team - to prove to _herself _- that Alex Blake was not just an alternative version of her, even if they were both brunette, and had replaced one another. They were two completely different people.

And a wave of guilt washed over her as she realized that _of course _the team realized that they were two different people. They were _profilers, _for God's sake.

"Oh, Prentiss, we forgot to grab an extra chair -" Rossi began.

"I can run and get one," Garcia offered drunkenly.

"Take my chair," Hotch instructed her.

"No, no, it's fine," Emily reassured them. "I can stand, I'm not a cripple -"

"No, I insist," Hotch said, getting up and pulling the chair out for her. "I have to introduce the case, anyway."

Emily looked at him, unsure.

"Really," he said. "It's fine."

"Okay," she said, taking the place between Rossi and JJ. "Thanks, Hotch."

"Don't worry about it," he said, giving her a weak half-smile. JJ's eyebrow went up slightly as she glanced sideways at Emily. Morgan and Garcia looked at her strangely as well. She shrugged slightly, as unsure as them about the strangeness of Hotch's actions.

Hotch delivered the case with ease and perfection, as he always did. It wasn't an unusual case: prostitutes and drug dealers found shot execution-style in the wilderness outside of Juneau.

"Wheels up in twenty," Hotch added at the end, like always. Emily smiled a bit; some things never changed, and probably never would.

"My lovely ladies," Garcia called to JJ and Emily as they filed out of the round table room, the other agents grabbing their go-bags, leaving Garcia and Emily and JJ standing in the bullpen hallway. "You two can head out now."

"No," Emily said immediately, "No, we have to stay and help with the case."

JJ yawned hugely. "Yeah, I think we should stay, too."

"Nope," Garcia stated boldly. "I will not allow it! Emily, you had an eight hour flight yesterday, and JJ, you are seven months pregnant with my little pseudo nieces or nephews! I will not allow you to stay here. Go home and sleep. Now."

They looked at one another.

"You know, that might not be a bad idea..." JJ said, yawning again.

"Well I'm going to ..." Emily yawned, "Stay."

"Haha, yeah, no. You're going home, too, Gumdrop. It is three AM. Go home, and I don't want you back here until at least eight. Farewell, ta-ta, au revior, TTFN. Shoo!" she said, waving them out. JJ and Emily laughed at Garcia's demands and packed up their things.

JJ insisted on driving Emily home, since she didn't have a car yet and cabs were so expensive. They drove out in time to see the jet take off. JJ sighed as her blue eyes followed it across the sky and out of sight.

"You okay?" Emily asked, concerned.

"Yeah," JJ said, tearing her eyes from the sky and pulling out of the parking lot. "I'm okay. It just makes me nervous when they leave and I'm not with them and I'm not in the action and I don't know about the case right away and I don't know if they're hurt or in danger and... You know what I mean."

Emily nodded. After all, she had experienced the same sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach when they left without her.

"That's not nothing, Emily!" JJ argued, her eyes sparkling with the prospect of finding out about Emily's personal life, as they stepped off of the elevator back into the third floor bullpen, at exactly eight-o'clock on the dot.

"It is, too, JJ. I'm telling you. It was a one-night thing."

"You don't do one night things, Em," JJ argued. "Come on, tell me! We're friends, remember?"

Emily sighed. JJ had arrived at her house at five thirty that morning to help her unpack some of her things, since both of them had been unable to sleep. JJ, who was nearly as snoopy as Garcia when in the right mood, had come across Emily's box of pregnancy tests, and had refused to drop the subject since.

"JJ, honestly. It was an old fling. It's not going to go anywhere, I promise."

"So you're not pregnant then?"

Emily opened her mouth to say something, and cocked her head slightly to the side. "No."

"Ladies!" Garcia greeted them, coming off of the elevator. "Are we having a gossip hour without me?" she asked, faking hurt.

"No, never, PG," Emily said, laughing. "We wouldn't do that."

"Well, what are we talking about, anyway?" Garcia asked, leading her two best friends down the hallway towards their offices.

"Well, we were just saying how -" Emily began, but JJ cut her off.

"Emily was just lying to me!" JJ said as she realized it, turning around to playfully slap Emily's arm as she finally put two and two together. "You are pregnant, aren't you!"

"What?" Garcia squeaked.

"What makes you think I'm lying?" Emily asked, feigning innocence and summoning a fakely-hurt expression.

"You tilted your head," JJ declared confidently, "You always tilt your head when you lie."

"Well, maybe, but sometimes I tilt my head when I'm not lying, too-" Emily began defensively, but then a wave of nausea overcame her, and she turned quickly and sprinted to the BAU lady's room.

When she finished vomiting, she scowled at herself in the mirror. So much for that secret, she thought, exiting the bathroom with her head hung in defeat.

"Bustedd," Garcia said happily, throwing her arms around Emily. "Congrats, Gumdrop!"

"Congratulations, Em," JJ said, hugging Emily after Garcia finished with her.

Emily smiled weakly at her best friends.

"Oh my God," Garcia stated, "My raven-haired beauty isn't happy. What's wrong, Sugarplum?"

Emily sighed. "It's so complicated that it's hard to even be excited about it."

"Is the baby-daddy in England?" JJ asked gently as they made their way towards the office area.

Emily considered this for a minute, and thought about lying, but decided against it. "I suppose he could be, yeah. I don't really know where he is."

JJ and Garcia looked at her skeptically.

"Do... do you want to talk about it?" Garcia asked hesitantly, sinking into Morgan's chair. JJ sat at her own desk, and Emily sat on top of it, since she no longer had a desk of her own. Her beloved desk was now covered in files and photographs that didn't belong to her. Her heart sunk lower.

"No," Emily said, giving her friends a sad smile. "I'd rather not, actually. Thanks, though. I appreciate that."

"Well... if you ever do want to talk..." Garcia said gently. "My door's always open."

"Mine, too," JJ mumbled.

It took Emily and Garcia about half a second to realize that something was wrong.

After all, Jennifer Jareau did not mumble. Ever. In fact, it was one of her biggest pet peeves.

"Jayje, are you okay?" they asked at the same time.

"Yeah," JJ said, breathing slightly more heavily than normal, "I'm fine. It's probably just false labor. It happened when I was pregnant with Henry, too."

Emily and Garcia watched their friend nervously as she gripped the sides of her chair, grimacing.

"Do you want me to call Rossi?" Garcia asked.

"No!" JJ exclaimed. "No, don't you dare, Garcie. You know how important these cases are. I'm not going to let him come home when people are dying just because of some stupid little contractions."

"Okay, okay, yeesh," Garcia amended, holding her hands up in front of her. "Let me know if I can get you anything, Peaches."

"I'm good for now, thanks, Garcia," JJ said, straightening up. "See? That only lasted, what, thirty seconds? I'm fine now. Really."

"Okey-dokey," Garcia said, pulling out her iPhone, which was ringing. "Hello, you've reached the technological princess of the BAU. Speak and be recognized." She turned to wink at Emily and JJ and then walked off in the direction of her office.

JJ turned to look at Emily and saw that she was pouting.

"What's wrong, Em?" she asked, immediately concerned.

"I don't have a desk," Emily stated, pointing towards Blake's desk.

JJ frowned slightly. "Well, pull up a chair and we'll share for now. I think with all the cases lately Hotch forgot to get your area set back up."

"You've had a lot of cases lately?" Emily asked, grabbing Reid's chair and dragging it over to JJ's desk.

"Yeah," JJ said, "Loads. We've had twenty-three in the past three months."

"Oh my God," Emily said, her eyes widening in surprise. "That's insane!"

JJ nodded her agreement. "Yeah, it's been busy. That's why Hotch and Beth broke up; she couldn't handle all of that."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment or two.

"So, how're you and Rossi?" Emily inquired.

"Great," JJ said. "He's such a softy, Em, it's hilarious. He and Henry are so cute together. Henry calls him 'Daddy'."

"Wow," Emily said, leaning back in her chair. "That's serious."

"Yeah," JJ agreed, a small frown appearing on her face as though she was deep in thought. "But it's good, we're good. Are there any... men in your life?"

Emily sighed, knowing that JJ was hoping to get the scoop on her baby-daddy now that Garcia was no longer around. That wasn't going to work, however, because they both knew if Emily hadn't said something in front of Garcia, she wouldn't say it behind her back, either. JJ was thinking wishfully.

"Nope," Emily said plainly, putting an extra pop on the 'p'. "I'm forever alone."

"You are not," JJ said, laughing lightly. "Your problem is that you're too good for everyone. Or maybe it's that they're all afraid you're going to kick their asses."

Emily laughed. "Yeah, that's the problem. I'm too scary."

"How far along are you?" JJ asked, her gaze dropping to Emily's abdomen. "You're not really showing that much."

"Fifteen weeks," Emily said, her hand resting on her stomach as if she was protecting the little bump from her best friend's gaze.

JJ gasped and clutched the chair again as she had another contraction. Emily raised her eyebrows questioningly, which went without notice until JJ's eyes popped back open a minute later and she again relaxed in her chair.

"Okay, I'm no expert here, but that doesn't seem normal," Emily said worriedly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine!"

"How many weeks are you?"

"Thirty four," JJ responded immediately.

"When did your contractions start?"

"Last night, when the dog jumped on me-"

"-How far apart?"

"Look, Em, I'm not trying to be rude, here, but you're a first time mother and I don't think you really know everything -"

"JJ, answer the damn question, because it's pretty obvious that you don't actually think this is false labor. You just don't want to go to the hospital because the team isn't here."

"Don't profile me while I'm in labor, Emily!" JJ said defensively. "That must be in violation of the BAU Girl-Code!"

The BAU Girl-Code were the laws that all female members of the BAU must follow at all times, without exception. To the men of the BAU, it was somewhat of a legend, something they had heard of countless times but had never actually laid eyes on, something that, when it was mentioned, someone was seriously in danger. When it was mentioned, one of the girls was most certainly pissed off, and as a result, the men avoided all of them until further notice.

To the females of the BAU, the code was... well, it was law. You couldn't break the code. It simply wasn't done. It was 47 pages of 146 rules written by Emily, JJ, and Garcia on scented purple paper for their eyes only, and it was stored in a pink binder in a secret hiding place that only the three of them knew the location of, a place which cannot be written here because of its top-secrecy.

Emily gasped in mock horror. "Jennifer Jareau, are you accusing me of breaking the code?"

Suddenly, Garcia appeared out of nowhere with the familiar pink binder in her hands.

"WHO BROKE THE CODE?" she roared.

"Emily!" JJ shouted, at the same time that Emily squealed "Not me!"

"Now, now, Sugarplum," Garcia said, as though trying to keep them both calm, "Let's just open up the book and see what the issue is, okay?"

Each rule had a punishment. The person that had not broken the code or had the code broken against them was always the judge, and issued punishment as they saw fit.

Garcia flipped open the binder to the index. "What seems to be the issue, my pretties?"

Agent Anderson happened to be walking through the bullpen at that exact moment. Garcia shrieked and snapped the binder shut, gave him a look that could kill, and tossed her hair over her shoulder, and stomped off towards the girl's bathroom.

Emily and JJ looked at each other and stood up, ready to follow her.

It was probably wrong, but they used the handicapped stall as their secret meeting room.

"Fuck," JJ squeaked, clutching her stomach and sinking back into the chair as her water broke.

"Garcia!" Emily shouted, and Garcia's blonde head popped out of the bathroom. When she saw JJ's face crumpled in pain she came running out of the bathroom.

"Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod!" Garcia squealed. "Are you okay? I'm calling Rossi -"

"Where are your keys?" Emily demanded, jerking JJ's desk drawer open to find her purse. She dug through it and found the car keys. "Alright, let's go! Garcia, hurry, call him on the way -"

Garcia scowled. "I can't come, someone has to hold down the fort! They'll be landing in two hours -"

"-Tell Dave not to come back!" JJ demanded. "He'd better stay on that case, I can take care of this myself -"

"Call me immediately when something happens!" Garcia demanded as Emily used JJ's swivel desk chair as a wheelchair, pushing her best friend into the elevator.


	8. Chapter 8

A short (or long, according to JJ) three hours later, Emily had gone to get Henry and they were both back at the hospital, ready to meet the twins for the first time. Emily had pulled Henry out of his Kindergarten class, and he was bouncing up and down with excitement during the entire span of the half-hour drive.

"How big are they, Auntie Emmy?" he asked for the third time.

"They're very little, Henry," she said patiently, happily watching the younger boy as she helped him out of his car seat and they began to walk towards the hospital, hand in hand. "They won't be big enough to play with you for awhile."

"Is it brothers or sisters?" he asked surprisingly for the first time, turning his big blue eyes up towards Emily.

"Two baby boys," Emily responded happily as they walked down the long maternity ward hallway.

"What are their names? Where is Mommy? Where is Daddy? Where are my... my brothers?"

Emily laughed and hoisted Henry up onto her hip, wondering how much longer she'd be able to lift him up before her stomach got in the way. She planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Why don't you just ask your Mommy yourself? Are you ready to go in and meet your baby brothers?"

Henry nodded enthusiastically, and Emily swung the door opened, carefully catching it before it could bang against the wall so that it didn't wake the babies, or JJ, if they were sleeping.

"Mommy?" Henry called as Emily put him down, gently shutting the door behind her. The six year old ran to the edge of JJ's bed and peered up at the bundle in her arms.

"Hey, buddy," JJ greeted her oldest son happily as Emily lifted him onto the bed. "This is your brother, Alexander."

"Hi," Henry said shyly to Alexander, trying to see him better. JJ shifted the baby so that Henry could see him better.

The smile that lit up Henry's face was enough to make JJ's heart melt.

"He's so little, Mommy!" Henry said happily. "And cute!"

"Where's Lucas?" Emily asked. Lucas was the younger twin. Alexander David and Lucas Aaron Rossi were the two boys' names that JJ and Rossi had managed to agree upon several weeks before.

"The nurse took him to change his diaper," JJ responded as she carefully propped Henry's arms up with a pillow so that he could hold his brother.

A moment later Alexander began to cry, quickly followed by Henry, who thought he had done something to hurt the baby. JJ quickly pulled the newborn away from her kindergartner, assuring him that it wasn't his fault and that babies cried all the time. JJ was feeding Alexander when the nurse came in with Lucas.

JJ asked Henry if he would like to hold the other twin, and he flatly refused, so the younger child was handed to Emily.

"Hi, baby boy," Emily cooed to the child, who had Rossi's Italian skin tone and his mother's bright blue eyes. She gently rocked the baby back and forth, and he curled his fist around her thumb. _What would this baby look like, with her big brown eyes, and a patch of blonde curls from Ian on top of his head -_

_Stop it, _Emily scolded herself.

"It amazes me how you can claim to be not maternal," JJ stated after observing her friend with her youngest son for a few minutes.

"Oh," Emily said, looking up. "I, um... I don't know."

"You'll be a good mom," JJ assured her friend. "You're really great with Henry and Jack and Kendall and Al and Luke."

The ringing of JJ's phone saved Emily from having to answer.

JJ answered it, happily answering all of her fiance's questions about their new children, while demanding that he remain at the case. He already missed the birth, she reasoned, what was the point in coming back now? He'd meet them when he got back.

And Al was still in JJ's arms, and Henry was happily watching cartoons, and Luke was dozing off in Emily's arms, and so she was left alone with her thoughts.

Which was just about her least favorite past time.

"Hey, Jayje?" Emily said, breaking the silence as she glanced at her wristwatch. "I should head back to the office, it's almost two and I want to see how the case is going."

"Ok," JJ said, yawning. "I'm going to take a nap, anyways. Do you mind bringing Henry back to the daycare?"

"Yeah, sure," Emily said, placing Luke into his mother's arms and hoisting her huge purse up over her shoulder. "C'mon, Henry."

Two days later the case was finally over. Emily, Garcia, Jack, Alexander, Henry and Kendall were waiting for the return of the team with glasses of pink lemonade and a bottle of scotch and a batch of freshly baked cookies. Henry was drawing a picture with a red crayon, Jack was doing his multiplication tables, Garcia was playing peek-a-boo with Kendall, and Emily was pacing back and forth across the bullpen and gently rocking Alexander. JJ was in Garcia's lair trying to get Lucas to stop crying.

Everyone jumped at the sudden _ding _of the elevator, announcing that their family was home at last.

Hotch's arms were around Jack almost immediately as they flashed their identical dimpled grins. Rossi scooped Henry up into his arms and was giving him a bear hug. Morgan called out "Where are my baby girls?!" and Garcia threw herself at him with Kendall in her arms. Reid had a glass of the pink lemonade in his right hand, while Henry jerked on his left, telling his godfather something that had happened in his kindergarten class the day before. Blake was on the phone, talking to her husband.

"I have a delivery for Mr. Rossi," Emily said with a wink, walking over to him with the baby. His face lit up immediately as he laid eyes on his son for the first time.

"And this is..?"

"This is Alexander David," Emily said, carefully handing the baby to his father.

"Hi, buddy!" Rossi cooed to the baby as Emily stepped back, allowing the team to crowd around them. JJ entered the room then, and they crowded around her as well. Soon the babies were being passed around between Blake, Morgan and Reid, and after a brief whispered conversation, JJ and Rossi turned, beaming towards the group, to announce who would be the boys' godparents.

Rossi was now holding both of the sleeping babies, so JJ, clapping her hands together, announced, "We would like Hotch and Emily to be Luke's godparents?" she asked them, looking hopeful.

"Yay!" Emily squealed happily, reaching out for her godson and taking him into her arms. She turned towards Hotch to allow him to play with their godson as well, and when she looked up towards him, he had an amused look on his face. Emily raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Hotch said, holding his hands up in mock surrender as he flashed another dimpled smile at her. "Now give me my godson!" he said, snatching the baby from a confused Emily.

"And we want Morgan and Blake to be Alexander's godparents," JJ said.

"Oh yeah, I got myself a Baby Boy!" Morgan cheered.

"Me? Really? Aww, thanks!" Blake said with a smile as Morgan took Alexander from Rossi. As soon as he saw that his father's hands were now empty, Henry reached upwards and Rossi scooped his eldest son into his arms.

Hotch's cell phone began to ring a moment later, and he handed Luke back to JJ and excused himself.

Garcia yawned hugely. "Well, not that this isn't fun and all, but I think we're going to have to head out soon. This Baby Girl is getting tired."

"Yeah, I'm going to head out, too," Blake said, grabbing her purse off of her desk and pulling her car keys out of her top desk drawer.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Emily said, yawning.

"Don't unpack," Hotch said, returning to the bullpen with a frustrated look on his face.

"_Aaaawwwwww,_" Garcia half-whined half-shrieked, stomping her foot furiously. "Don't these unsubs understand that we have _lives? _That we need to _sleep _once in awhile?"

"Calm down, Sweetness," Morgan said, planting a kiss on Garcia's forehead. "It's all in a day's work."

"Prentiss, do you have your bag packed?"

Emily looked slightly surprised. "Oh, um, yeah. I do."

"You're coming with us, then. Wheels up in twenty, we'll brief everyone on the way there. Rossi, are you hanging back?"

"Yeah," Rossi said, putting his arm around his fiance's shoulders. "I'm off for the next four weeks, remember?"

"Right," said Hotch. "We'll see you when you get back, then." He walked off.

"Momma?" Henry whispered softly as he stirred from his sleep.

"Yeah, baby?" JJ asked, turning towards her son, who was lying on Rossi's desk.

"Can we go home now?"

"Yeah, sweetheart," JJ said, looking towards Rossi. "Let's head home. Have fun, you guys."

"Yeah, right," Morgan said.

JJ shrugged. "As much fun as you _can _have while tracking down murderers, I guess."

"JJ, Rossi, do you mind taking Jack back down to the daycare? Jessica can't pick him up for a few more hours."

"He can come with us," JJ said. "She can pick him up from our place."

"Yeah, sure," said Rossi, gently shaking the third grader out of his sleep. "Come on, Buddy."

"Aww," Jack moaned. "Why d'you always have another case?"

"I'll call Aunt Jessica and tell her to pick you up as soon as possible, okay, Jack?"

"Okay," he mumbled tiredly, grabbing his backpack as JJ and Rossi went down the elevator with the four boys and Garcia and Kendall in tow.

And just like that, with all of the children out of the room, the agents of the BAU were back in business mode.


	9. Chapter 9

It was ten thirty and the jet was gliding silently through the jet black sky, shifting smoothly in and out of large, fluffy grey clouds. Emily and Morgan were the only ones still awake; Morgan lying on his back with his ankles crossed and his head resting on his hands, while Emily sat across from him at the table, her sleeping area having been taken over by Blake. She tapped her long dark red fingernails on the table as she watched the city lights on the ground appear and disappear in the darkness.

"Prentiss," Morgan whispered to the dimly lit cabin.

"Yeah?" Emily asked softly, turning to face him.

"You mind quitting that tapping? I can't sleep."

"Oh, yeah, sorry!" she said, folding her hands on her lap and turning back towards the window.

Morgan chuckled.

"What?" she asked, smiling slightly as she turned towards him again.

"It's just, the first time you actually _have _fingernails, you go on tappin' them like there's no tomorrow."

Prentiss let out a dry laugh. "Yeah."

They fell into a comfortable silence, which was soon interrupted by Morgan's snoring.

Emily turned to look at her team. So much had happened in the two years when she had been gone, and it almost seemed like she'd never be able to catch up with them.

She looked at Reid, who had his chair leaned all the way back, his head leaned sideways and his mouth wide open. Could he really be thirty-four? That just didn't seem right. Reid was supposed to be their little brother, the kid of the group. The kid was all grown up now. He had frown lines on his face, worry lines on his forehead. And - she squinted through the darkness - were those _grey _hairs on his head? Even Emily herself didn't have grey hairs. Well, maybe she did. She was still dying her hair black, probably more often than she should.

She looked over to where Morgan was now asleep and smiled at his bald head, feeling a twinge of pride at his new father-status. She could hardly believe that he had finally settled down, but she had to admit, she was glad he and Garcia had finally given each other a chance. She made a mental note to ask Garcia how their relationship started - and ended(?), and planned on demanding as many details as the technical analyst could remember. She was happy for the pair of them, but the whole situation with Savannah and Kevin was sure weird.

She examined Hotch next. He looked so relaxed and peaceful in his sleep, free of the worries and horrible images that filled his brain during the day. She smiled a little while she watched him, his mouth opened slightly as he softly snored. _That is so cute_, she thought. Then she scowled at herself. What the hell was she thinking? Hotch, cute? He was her boss, for crying out loud! But still... she thought as he smiled slightly in his sleep, causing one of his dimples to appear... he was pretty damn cute. How the hell hadn't she noticed that before? Then she shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. Even if Hotch was fucking adorable, he wouldn't want anything to do with Emily. She was his subordinate, she was not exactly emotionally stable at the moment, and she was pregnant with a monster's baby.

She sadly tore her gaze away from Hotch and her eyes went over to where Alex Blake lay asleep, on the right booth seat, where she had slept for seven years, right across from JJ's space.

She sighed heavily, leaning her head against her palm. Everything had changed. The family dynamics were completely different than that had been when she left. Her 'sister' and her 'brother' had a baby together' and her other 'sister' was with her 'uncle' and the 'father' of the team was suddenly looking very attractive... the 'baby brother' was clearly no longer a baby in any way. And now, with Blake here, it just seemed like she'd never be able to find her footing again.

She hadn't even realized that she was crying until she felt a comforting hand rubbing her back. Wiping the tear off of her cheek with the back of her hand, she looked up and was surprised to see Blake standing over her.

"Do you want to talk?" the older woman whispered, looking concerned.

No! shrieked Emily's instincts.

But before she could even acknowledge those instincts, she heard herself squeak "Okay."

Blake tilted her head to the side, indicating that they should go into the other room so as not to wake the other profilers. Emily stood up and followed the older woman out, and then sat cautiously beside her in the plane chair.

"What's bothering you, Prentiss?" Blake asked.

"Honestly?" Emily asked, raising her eyebrows.

Blake nodded, and Emily sighed. _To tell the truth or not to tell the truth_, she thought dryly. _Oh, what the hell. What not just get it all out there_.

"I'm coming onto this job off of the shittiest two and a half years of my life, which is seriously saying something. Four and a half months ago the man I'm most afraid of in the entire world came to my flat in London and raped me, which was even more shocking because I saw him take a bullet to the head three years earlier and believed he was dead. I'm pregnant with his child now, and I'm not sure how to feel about it because I hate this man with a passion but at the same time, it's not really the baby's fault, you know? And what's worse was I met this man while I was undercover for interpol and he's a terrorist, and I was undercover for two years as his girlfriend and at first it was all acting but then he was so sweet and I fell in love, and I got over all of that but now that I'm having his baby all of my Lauren feelings are coming back, and I'm just so conflicted about the whole thing and I'm scared because he's still out there and I don't know if he'll try to find me again. So I came back to Quantico looking for some familiarity and comfort and guidance from my family only to find out that everything is different because everyone is in different relationships and the roles have changed because of that and its hard to know how to act with everyone and I don't want to seem out of it. Also I don't want them to know I'm pregnant because they'll press for details and if I tell them the truth they won't believe it but its hard to hide because I'm always sick and tired and I'm starting to show and I can't stop touching the damn bump and, I mean, I bet most of them already know - you know how hard it is to keep secrets from profilers. Hotch and JJ and Garcia already know and I really, really can't tell Morgan because he'll flip out and try to find Doyle and kill him and I'm not sure I want that either. Also Doyle has a son that is twelve and my friend was raising him but now he's getting a job offer he can't turn down in Afghanistan and he can't take Declan with him and so if I don't take him, he'll go into foster care and I raised that boy for two years and I feel like I'm his mother or like I'm at least partially responsible for him and if he goes into foster care, I feel like he doesn't even have a chance at life. I love him to death but I can't imagine trying to raise a baby alone with this job and being gone all the time and I don't want to pull another child into that. And honestly another issue is just that you're here now and I'm not sure how that is going to affect me. I don't know if you replaced me in the family, and if you did I don't know how to earn my place back."

By the time that she was done with that rant, her face was beet red from embarrassment and lack of oxygen, and tears were streaming down her face.

At that moment, the pilot's voice came over the speaker and announced, "We will be landing in Milwaukee in five minutes. Please fasten your seat belts and prepare for descent."

Blake looked towards the front of the jet and scowled. She was trying to have a bonding session here!

Emily looked up at her, pulled out of a sort of trance as though she had just realized what happened and she was terrified that she had just spilled her heart out to a near stranger.

Emily sighed, embarrassed, and rolled her eyes at how ridiculous she was being. "Sorry, I'm not usually this emotional- or trusting - it's the hormones. I didn't mean to tell you my life story-" She began to get up to move back into the cabin with the rest of the team.

"Hey, Prentiss, wait one minute," Blake said kindly, reaching for her go-bag. "Here," she said as she handed her makeup bag to the younger woman.

Emily gratefully took the bag from the other agent and began dabbing away the black streaks on her face, and reapplying her mascara and eyeliner. She put the items back into the little black bag and zipped it up, handing it back to Blake.

"Thank you," Emily said, her voice cracking slightly.

Blake wordlessly handed her a bottle of water, and Emily took a few sips, realizing that she actually felt much better having got all of her problems and fears off of her chest. She gave Blake a watery smile, and whispered, "Thanks."

"Any time you need anything at all, you just let me know, alright?"

She nodded, smiling slightly shyly at the newer agent. She felt a wave of gratitude wash over her, mixed in with her previous feelings of resentment.

Blake zipped her go-bag and pulled it over her shoulder. She turned to face Emily. "You know, Prentiss, I didn't replace you. They wouldn't allow that to happen; they adore you. I merely joined a family that you are still very much a part of."

Emily blinked once or twice, not exactly sure how to respond.

"I'm just letting you know," Blake continued, "This isn't a competition or anything. We are two different people and the team recognizes that, and I wouldn't dream of trying to take your place away from you."

"Thank you," Emily whispered again quietly. "That's all I'm asking."

"I know," Blake said seriously. Then a smile appeared on her face. "Come on," she said, motioning towards the cabin. "We'd better get in there before it starts getting bumpy."

She let Emily pass before her into the cabin. Emily smiled appreciatively, and Blake whispered, "Do you want to talk again tonight?"

"Alright," Emily agreed quietly.

The older agent smiled, got up, and began to wake the rest of the team.

Emily watched Blake carefully, profiling each soft whisper and gentle shake served to wake the team. Then it hit her, and she smiled slightly. Blake's role in the team was nothing like hers. She was the sarcastic, flirty, young, fun-loving one.

And Blake so clearly fit her role that Emily wondered how she hadn't seen it before. Blake's role was one that the team had never filled in all the time Emily had been with them.

Blake was absolutely, without a doubt, the team's mother.

And with that knowledge, Emily's role in the team gained a little more definition. And the team unity increased tenfold.


End file.
